Wii U's eShop Takes a Page from Steam’s Playbook

The Wii U eShop allows owners of the new console the ability to dive into a catalogue of games that includes not only the biggest AAA launch titles, but also some stellar indie games.

The Wii U overhaul of the eShop brings the service’s indie distribution method up to speed with services like Steam and iTunes.

Mikael Haveri, marketing manager of Trine 2 publisher Frozenbyte, recently explained that Nintendo gives indie developers the power to price products as they please. The big guys still enforce some basic guidelines, but nothing too restrictive. Developers can even set their own dates for sales.

Haveri compared Nintendo’s changes to the current Apple and Steam systems and described the service as very indie friendly.

Another benefit for developers is the absence of a patch fee. Not too long ago, Fez developer Polytron expressed frustrations with Xbox Live Arcade for charging tens of thousands of dollars for patches.

Nintendo has no limits or fees on patches. Developers will be allowed to update games almost as much as they want, which will be a huge perk for indie creators.

Nintendo seems to be taking a large stride in the right direction with the eShop and we look forward to hearing other indie developers speak out about their experiences with the service.